Perfect Game Aflac Showcase
Over the past few years Perfect Game has held a workout and game for other top players
during the Aflac Classic. The reason
for this event is the number of highest level scouts and college recruiters who
attend the Aflac Classic didn’t have anything to do during the afternoons.
The Aflac Teams worked out in the mornings and left for other activities
in the afternoon. This event gave the
scouts and recruiters a chance to see other highest level players.
So while the event is all about the players the reason for doing it is all
about the scouts.
This year we concentrated on the 2009 class, but did include a couple of top 08s. There have been some very good prospects
that have come out of this small but very exclusive group that has participated
in past PG Aflac Showcases. In fact,
some players in the past have actually been drafted much higher than some of the
Aflac Players. It will be interesting
to see if some of the underclassmen from this year’s PG Aflac Showcase will become
Aflac All Americans in 2008. There
sure were a lot of good candidates.
These reports will come out in four installments, one each day.
We are listing them in random order.
Pay close attention to these players, they’re all very talented.
PG Aflac Reports
1
David Nick MIF, 6-1/165, R/R,
Cypress
,
Cypress, CA
Summer Team – ABD Bulldogs/Dodgers Elite
Aflac Report: August 28th, 2007
Nick is a pure baseball player with a ton of projection.
He plays the game the way it's supposed to be played.
He showed an advanced feel for the game in
San
Diego
. Good hands, good feet and plenty of arm on defense. He runs well and perhaps his
best tool is the bat. Outstanding professional hitting approach that produces line
drives to all fields and power to the gaps.
Could end up hitting with serious power.
The game comes easy to Nick and it's easy to see that he enjoys being on the field. He is a complete player who appears
to be a student of the game. David Nick is one of the top 09s in the country and
a very good student in the classroom as well.
Ethan Carter, 6-5/200, R/R, Menchville,
Newport News,
VA
Summer Team – North Hurricanes
Aflac Report: August 28th, 2007
Carter is a big tall 6-5/200 RHP with long limbs and serious arm strength.
He projects to be mid 90s before he's done with high school.
He threw 87-90 easy in
San Diego
with good life on the FB. Looked like
he threw both CB and slider. CB was 74 mph, slider at 82 MPH.
Slider could have been a cutter, but both breaking balls were very good. Also showed a nice changeup in the low
80s. Showed command and advanced pitchability.
Carter is one of the best 09 RHPs in the country and MLB scouts will need
to keep close track of him. The sky is the limit for Ethan Carter!
Marcus Stroman, 5-9/165, S/R, Patchogue Medford,
Medford,
NY
Summer Team –
South Florida
Bandits
Aflac Report: August 28th, 2007
Stroman is an exciting player and an extremely talented MIF.
In
San Diego
he showed excellent body control, good hands, and a strong quick arm. Looks like
he runs very well, with outstanding first step quickness.
He is very athletic. Stroman
is a switch hitter and a tough out.
He has a line drive contact approach right now, but he's going to get bigger and
stronger and could develop some good power potential down the road.
He has a great feel for the game and plays lights out.
He's definitely a highest level defensive player to watch and he's a very
good student. The future looks good
for Marcus Stroman.
Ryan “Scooter” Gennett, 5-10/165, L/R,
Sarasota
,
Sarasota, FL
Summer Team – HS Team
Aflac Report: August 28th, 2007
Gennett is a talented MIF who was a lot of fun to watch in
San Diego
. He does everything well and has a
lot of natural ability. He's a good
athlete who doesn't seem to have any real weakness to his game.
He's a player! Outstanding agility,
good hands and plus quickness. At the
plate he's best described as a pesky hitter and a very tough out.
He has a good approach with his left hand bat and doesn't chase much. With his running and hitting ability
he profiles as a lead off type in college or pro ball.
At 5-10/165 he still has a lot of room to add additional strength and could
end up hitting with some power. He's
a player! He will be moving into our
rankings as we update them.
Michael Zunino, 6-2/190, R/R, Mariner,
Cape Coral,
FL
Summer Team –
Southwest Florida
Baseball
Aflac Report: August 28th, 2007
The athletic 6-2/190 Zunino was absolutely amazing in
San Diego
. First he put on a show comparable
to most any of the 08 Aflac All Americans in BP.
Three of his first four swings got out of the big
San Diego
park in a hurry. Two of them to deep
left center. He continued to hit the
ball hard in the game against some of the top pitching there.
Defensively, he can play about anywhere because of his speed, arm and athleticism,
but this kid is exceptional behind the plate.
During workouts he showed high level arm strength, quickness, agility and
accuracy. He plays the game hard and
he's one of the very best 09s in
America
in our estimation. Anyone who saw him in
San Diego
would have to agree. He's also a good student.
Matthew Moynihan, 6-2/205, L/R, Cathedral Catholic,
San
Diego, CA
Summer Team – San Diego Show
Aflac Report: August 28th, 2007
Moynihan is a talented all around outfielder with 5 tool potential.
He runs like a deer, has a strong accurate arm, a good quick swing that projects
to hit with serious power, and he's an outstanding outfielder defensively.
At 6-2/205 (he looked a bit thinner than that in
San Diego
) his left handed swing is very advanced.
He creates excellent bat speed but maintains a well balanced controlled body. It really looks a bit like Barry Bonds
swing in some ways. Moynihan is another
who will jump into our next 09 rankings and he definitely belongs.
He's a highest level player and a good student.
Joe Lovecchio, 6-2/195, R/R, Seabreeze, Wilbur
by the Sea, FL
Summer Team –
Orlando
Scorpions
Aflac Report: August 28th, 2007
Lovecchio is a 6-2/190 RHP who we've seen several times.
We've actually seen him much better than what he showed in
San
Diego
. His arm works very well and we’ve
seen upper 80s out of him before, he was 85 in
San Diego
. His best pitch is his breaking ball
and it's a good one. His fastball shows real good movement with the two seamer. When he has his good command, he can
sail through a line up in a hurry.
There's a lot to project and we look forward to seeing him again.
He has a very bright future.
Robert Amaro, 6-3/205, R/R, William Penn Charter,
Bensalem,
PA
Summer Team – Bandits Baseball
Aflac Report: August 28th, 2007
Amaro is a big strong 09 with a ready made MLB body, great bloodlines and very serious
hitting ability. The ball comes off
his bat in a big hurry and despite his obvious upper deck power potential he hits
a lot of hard line drives to both gaps.
Amaro played 1B in
San Diego
and looked very advanced at that position.
He did show the athleticism and especially the arm to play 3B or the outfield as
well. It doesn't take a lot of imagination
to see this kid as an Albert Pujols type player some day in the future.
He will be entering our 09 list as it's updated and we look forward to seeing
him again.
Tommy Winegardner, 5-11/175, S/R, Riverdale
Baptist,
St.
Leonard, MD
Summer Team – North Hurricanes
Aflac Report: August 28th, 2007
Winegardner was an 09, but decided to graduate early and committed to Coastal Carolina. The biggest problem in evaluating Tommy
Winegardner is it ends up being a lot of information to compile.
He does do everything there is to do on a baseball field at a college all
american level. And that's exactly
what we think he will be. He's a highest
level pitcher who throws upper 80, low nineties with excellent stuff and command. He throws three quality pitches and
has a very advanced feel for what he's doing.
Problem is… We like him even more as a middle infielder.
He is polished with good hands, good feet, and plus arm.
He's an excellent hitter from both sides of the plate with the ability to
drive one out of the park. The one
thing he could still improve is his running speed, but he moves plenty well. Those who love old time baseball, will
love Tommy Winegardner. It's hard to
describe him in any other way than to simply say he is a baseball player.
A real good one. And he's a top student as well.
Brennan May, 6-0/195, R/R,
Woodward
Academy
,
Fayetteville, GA
Summer Team – East Cobb Astros
Aflac Report: August 28th, 2007
Brennen May has a solid and strong athletic build (6-0/195).
He is an 08 grad with pro type tools.
He is a plus runner (one of the nation’s fastest), he has enough arm and outstanding
outfield range and ability. Offensively
he is even more interesting, though his swing may not be the prettiest, the results
are obvious. In fact, he was named
the MVP of the 148 team WWBA 17U Championship in July.
He has the ability to square up on top level pitching and he hits with power,
as he showed in the WWBA tournament.
His speed makes you think his future is as a lead off hitter, but he has middle
of the order power. He will steal bases
and cover a ton of ground in center field as he showed in
San Diego
. May is also a football star, but
he plans on making baseball his future.
When he gets in a hitting groove he's as good as any 09 in the country.
He can really make things happen in many ways on a baseball field.
As good as his tools are he seems to be even better in the games.